Hospital district commissioner candidates to speak at town hall meeting

The Coalition for Orcas Health Care is pleased to announce its fourth Town Hall Meeting on Saturday, Feb. 24, from 10 to 11:30 a.m. at the Orcas Senior Center, 62 Henry Road in Eastsound. This will be a special meeting: Orcas residents will have the chance to meet many of the candidates running for Public Hospital District (PHD) Commissioner. We anticipate that each candidate will have a brief statement and answer questions from the public. We invite the public to come to learn about the values and skills of each candidate. Bring those questions on!

The filing period for PHD commissioner candidates was Feb. 5 – 9. The PHD proposal that will be on the ballot for the April 24 special election includes 5 at-large commissioner positions. Each candidate will have filed for one of those positions. During the election, voters will decide whether to approve the PHD and will also vote for one of the candidates listed under each position. If the PHD is approved, the winners of the five positions will form the new PHD Commission. The winner with the fewest votes will serve until the next general election, the next two winners will serve until the second following general election, and the two winners with the most votes will serve until the third following general election. In this manner, a rotation will be established for future commissioner elections.

“We’ve been very encouraged by the positive response in the community,” said Dale Heisinger, Coalition member, “and believe a good number of candidates will run in the election.” Coalition member Tom Eversole added, “election of qualified, competent candidates is essential to the success of the PHD. Combined, they must have the right set of skills and be able to work collaboratively and diligently for the good of the community.” On its website, the Coalition will soon publish a list of skills it believes commissioner candidates should have, in addition to a list of core values it believes are important for the delivery of health care services on Orcas.

The Coalition hopes for a large attendance at the Feb. 24 Town Hall meeting, and asks readers to spread the word to neighbors and friends.

For more information and the published Q&A from previous Town Hall meetings, check the Coalition’s website: https://www.coalitionfororcashealthcare.com. Follow the Coalition for Orcas Health Care on Facebook, @Orcascohc.